Excellence-class cruise ship explained

The Excellence class,[1] [2] [3] including the sub-classes Helios class[4] and XL or Excel class,[5] is a class of cruise ships ordered by Carnival Corporation & plc for its subsidiary brands AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, P&O Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line. The ships are being constructed by Meyer Werft at their shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, and Meyer Turku at their shipyard in Turku, Finland. The first,, entered service for AIDA Cruises in 2018.

History

In March 2015, Carnival Corporation entered into a strategic partnership with Meyer Werft to build new ships between 2018 and 2022.[6] In June 2015, four ships were ordered for delivery between 2019 and 2020.[7] [8] In September 2016, three more ships were ordered for Carnival Cruise Line and P&O Cruises for delivery in 2020 and 2022. [9] In February 2024, Carnival Cruise Line placed an order for another Excellence class ship for delivery in 2027.

The Excellence class are the first cruise ships in the world to be dual fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and traditional fuel oil, which is intended to make them more environmentally friendly than traditional, diesel-powered ships.[8] Each ship is expected to cost $950 million.[10]

The first four ships in the class suffered delivery delays. The delays of AIDAnova, Costa Smeralda and Mardi Gras were attributed to the ships being the first to be fueled by LNG, design complexities, difficulties coordinating subcontractors, and the large size of the ships.[3] The delay of Iona was due to a temporary suspension of operations by P&O Cruises, and slower construction progress, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] Mardi Gras was later delayed until 2021, also due to the pandemic.[12]

Ships

Ship Subclass Built Operator Builder Gross tonnage Flag IMO number Notes Image Newbuilding no.
Helios class[13] 2018 183,858[14] 9781865 World's first LNG-powered cruise ship.[15] S.696
2019 185,010 9781889 NB 1394
Excel class 2020 Meyer Werft 184,089 9826548S.710
Excel class[16] 2020 Meyer Turku 180,800 Bahamas9837444 NB 1396
AIDAcosma Helios class 2021 AIDA Cruises Meyer Werft 183,900 9781877 Originally planned for 2020. S.709
Costa Toscana 2021 Costa Cruises Meyer Turku 186,364 9781891 Originally planned for 2020. NB 1395
[17] Excel class 2022 Carnival Cruise Line Meyer Turku 183,521[18] 9837456 Construction started on January 13, 2021.[19] NB 1397
Arvia[20] Excel class 2022 P&O Cruises Meyer Werft 185,581[21] 9849693 Construction started on February 22, 2021.[22] S.716
Carnival Jubilee[23] Excel class 2023 Carnival Cruise Line Meyer Werft 183,521[24] Bahamas9851737 Originally ordered for AIDA Cruises.[25] Construction started on March 18, 2022.[26] S.717[27]
TBAExcel class2027Carnival Cruise LineMeyer Werft180,000Order announced February 13, 2024.[28]
first order by the Carnival Corporation after five years[29]
TBAExcel class2028Carnival Cruise LineMeyer Werft180,000Order announced March 26, 2024.[30]
Hermes cover underway[31] [32]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Carnival not occupied with building world's largest cruise ship. April 17, 2018. January 11, 2020.
  2. Web site: Steel cut for Carnival Cruise Line's first Excellence-class ship. November 15, 2018. May 29, 2019.
  3. Web site: Mardi Gras delays not surprising but still costly for Carnival. January 5, 2020. January 6, 2020.
  4. Web site: AIDAnova. www.meyerwerft.de. May 3, 2019.
  5. Web site: P&O Cruises and Cunard make 2022 single use plastics commitment. May 26, 2019.
  6. Web site: Carnival Corporation Enters into Strategic Partnerships to Add Nine Cruise Ships to its Fleet over a Four-Year Period Starting in 2019. March 24, 2015. January 2, 2017.
  7. Web site: Carnival Corporation orders two cruise ships from Meyer Turku. June 15, 2015. January 2, 2017. September 25, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190925170049/https://www.meyerturku.fi/en/meyerturku_com/media/presseticker/pressemitteilung_detailansicht_11672.jsp. dead.
  8. Web site: Carnival Corporation Finalizes Contract with Meyer Werft to Build Four Next-Generation Cruise Ships. June 15, 2015. January 2, 2017.
  9. Web site: Carnival Corporation to Build Three New LNG-Powered Cruise Ships with Meyer Werft and Meyer Turku. September 6, 2016. January 2, 2017.
  10. Web site: Cruise ship ordeerbook. 6 January 2011. February 25, 2017.
  11. Web site: P&O Cruises Reveals Maiden Voyage of New Ship Iona Will be Delayed. Spencer. Kerry. Cruise Critic. March 30, 2020. March 31, 2020. January 16, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230116183614/https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/5232/. dead.
  12. Web site: Another delay for Carnival's Mardi Gras ship. Limone. Jerry. Travel Weekly. July 7, 2020. July 7, 2020.
  13. Web site: AIDA orders third Helios-class cruise ship. 28 February 2018. May 30, 2019.
  14. ,RINA. 9781865. AIDAnova. January 11, 2020.
  15. Web site: AIDAnova, World's 1st LNG Cruise Ship, Delivered. World Maritime News. December 12, 2018. September 10, 2019.
  16. Web site: Carnival Cruise Line Names First XL-Class Ship Mardi Gras. 6 December 2018. May 30, 2019.
  17. Web site: Carnival's 2022 Excel-class ship is named Carnival Celebration . Seatrade Cruise News . Kalosh . Anne . August 21, 2020 . August 21, 2020.
  18. Web site: Carnival XL Class 2 MEYER WERFT Delivery in 2022 . Meyer Werft . 18 December 2020 . en . 22 February 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200222031118/https://www.meyerwerft.de/en/ships/xl_class_2.jsp . dead .
  19. Web site: Steel Cut for New Carnival Ship. Cruise Industry News. January 13, 2021. April 22, 2022.
  20. News: P&O Cruises Reveals Name of New Ship, Arvia. Coulter. Adam. Cruise Critic. 18 February 2021. 18 February 2021. 8 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210308113414/https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/5891/. dead.
  21. Web site: Arvia . LR Class Direct . Lloyd's Register of Shipping . 22 July 2023 . London.
  22. Web site: P&O Cruises Cuts Steel For New Cruise Ship, Arvia. Coulter. Adam. Cruise Critic. February 22, 2021. February 23, 2021. March 8, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210308131829/https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/5903/. dead.
  23. Web site: 2021-11-11. Third LNG Carnival Vessel to Be Named Carnival Jubilee and Based in Texas. 2021-11-11. Cruise Hive. en-US.
  24. Web site: Excel Class Cruise Ship #3. 18 December 2020. Meyer Werft. en. 22 February 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200222031117/https://www.meyerwerft.de/en/ships/aida_helios_3.jsp. dead.
  25. Web site: Carnival Cruise Line To Grow Fleet By Two Additional Ships by 2023 – Carnival Cruise Line News. 23 June 2021. Carnival Cruise Lines.
  26. Web site: Steel Cut for New Carnival Ship Jubilee. Cruise Industry News. March 18, 2022. April 22, 2022.
  27. https://www.cruisehive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/jubilee-conveyance4.jpg Picture of the ship down the river Ems
  28. Web site: MEYER WERFT to build another cruise ship for Carnival Cruise Line . 2024-02-13 . MEYER WERFT . en.
  29. Web site: Carnival books new LNG-powered cruise ship at Meyer Werft . 14 February 2024 .
  30. plc . Carnival Corporation & . Carnival Corporation Orders an Additional Excel-Class Ship for Carnival Cruise Line, the Line's 5th Excel-Class Ship and the 11th Across the Global Fleet . 2024-03-26 . www.prnewswire.com . en.
  31. Web site: Meyer Werft: Bürgschaft für AIDA-Eigentümer Carnival . 18 July 2024 .
  32. Web site: Unterstützung für Meyer Werft - Bürgschaft für Reederei Carnival .

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